September Net – Amar Za’abl

In April 2002, Yemen has signed the Mine Ban Treaty , Ottawa ,in 1998 , which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines.

Yemen informed the United Nations that it had completely destroyed all antipersonnel mines. However, additional stockpiles of mines were found in 2006 and destroyed in December 2007. Observers say the Houthi militia has received quantities of mines from Iran along with equipment helping them to local manufacturing.

Hand-Made Mines

According to specialists, the Houthi militia planted mines with different types and forms including form of rock in mountainous areas and in the form of sand blocks..etc.

The spokesman of al-Amaleqah brigades in the western coast said the Houthi militia deliberately plants mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in main roads, homes and farms without regard to civilians, children, youth, women and the elderly.

According to a report by the British Conflict Armament Research (CAR), the Houthi militia has local explosives manufacturing machines with Iranian-made tools that have high capabilities in producing IEDs and mines of all kinds

Modified Devices

Evidences collected by British center CAR showed that Houthi militia widely uses landmines and modified explosive devices, however, its use was intensively increased with  the group’s retreatment and army’s advancement backed by Arab coalition. The evidences      indicate that the militia planted huge amounts of mines locally-made with Iranian tools. in addition to small number of landmines the group seized from stores of the Yemeni army.

CAR documented a range of materiel recovered during Yemeni national army advances along the west coast of Yemen, toward the port city of Hodeida. While some of the recovered materiel consists of conventional landmines and naval mines, The vast majority of landmines are improvised and mass-produced, domestically, by Houthi militia in Yemen.

CAR condemn Iran for supporting Houthi militia

Houthi militia with a help from Iran has employed significant quantities of improvised landmines and naval mines, supplemented by a much smaller proportion of conventionally manufactured mines. The improvised mines are standardized and, in some cases, serialized, which suggests mass production—they are either identical in design to conventional materiel, or closely resemble conventional mines.

Houthi rebels likewise standardize, serialize, and mass-produce IEDs, IED main charges, and IED switches.

The improvised mines used by Houthi militia in Yemen and documented by CAR are:

Claymore-type directional mine

Chinese-manufactured Type 150A GLD directional

Former German Democratic Republic-manufactured PPM-2 anti-personnel mine

Belgian-manufactured PRB ATK-M3 anti-vehicle mine

Italian-manufactured VS-1.6 anti-vehicle mine